The BMW Art Car program is celebrating the 50th anniversary and its history this year. But when it comes directly from Jochen Neerpasch – the man who founded BMW M, BMW Motorsport and Greenlit created the first BMW Kunstauto – hits history differently. At the beginning of this year we spoke to Jochen Neerpasch in Rolex 24 in Daytona, where he looked back, like an idea that began almost accidentally, developed into one of the most famous intersections of art and motorsport.
The first BMW Kunstauto was not planned
For those who are unknown, the BMW Art Car series is a collection of racing cars – and occasionally street cars – transformed into rolling works of art of some of the most famous contemporary artists in the world. These are not replicas or studio props. They are real machines that competed on legendary events such as the 24 hours of Le Mans, which were painted with names like Alexander Calder, Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Jenny Holzer, David Hockney, Jeff Koons, Esther Mahlangu, Olafur Eliasson and Julie Mehlretu.
Since the first in 1975, every art car has been a unique cooperation between engineering and art – a canvas at a top speed that was born for the route intended for the museum.
A call from Jean Todt
Neerpasch’s version of the history of origin is not a polished company field. In his words, it started at a time when BMW started a random at the point where it could compete. “It happened by chance,” he recalled. “At that time we couldn’t drive in Europe – only in the United States. We wanted to run in Le Mans, but we knew it would be difficult.”
Then came the call that set things in motion. Jean Todt – Long before his Ferrari and Fia years – Neerpasch turned over an unusual proposal. “He told me that there was an art dealer in Paris who had a project. He wanted to drive a car from Le Mans in the 24 hours of Le Mans. He had already asked Alpina to do this, but they had rejected the idea.” The art dealer and racing driver was Hervé Poulain.
Most teams may have released it, but Neerpasch saw a little more. “I found it a good idea – not only to go to Le Mans as motorsport event, but as an art event.”
Races to prepare a Le Mans entry
There was a big obstacle: the BMW racing team was based in the USA, and there was no crew in Europe to prepare a car for Le Mans. “But if you want, you always find a way to do it,” said Neerpasch. This “Weg” produced the first BMW Kunstauto -a 3.0 -CSL that was painted by the American artist Alexander Calder. Calder’s strong colors and flowing shapes transformed the car into a kinetic sculpture, which also stands out in the frenetic surroundings of a 24-hour breed.
From the unique experiment to the continued inheritance
After this debut, Neerpasch knew that the concept had a potential that goes beyond a single excursion. “After the first year, we decided to do more art offenses. The idea was to combine the artist not only by car, but also to the event.” This approach produced pieces such as Roy Lichtenstein’s 1977 BMW 320i Group 5, whose floating lines and bright gradients symbolized the road, the rising sun and the experience of the race through the French landscape in dawn.
It was not just about painting just a car – it was about capturing the spirit of endurance sports. And remarkably, none of the artists took over the payment. “All artists did not take money afterwards,” said Neerpasch. “They just wanted to do it.”
Five decades, twenty cars, endless stories
What started with Calders CSL now comprises 20 BMW Kunstautos, which extend through minimalism, pop art, magical realism, abstraction, concept art and digital art. They were exhibited in galleries, driven in Le Mans and visited the world, each a unique cooperation between the vision of an artist and the BMW engineering.
And to think – it all started with a call, a rejected proposal and a motorsport boss who was ready to take a chance of something unconventional.
Neerpasch’s story recalls that some of the most constant legacies in racing do not start a strategic plan. You start with a “Why not?” And the determination to achieve this.
BMW Art Cars Timeline (1975-2024)
- 1975 – Alexander Calder (USA) – BMW 3.0 CSL
- 1976 – Frank Stella (USA) – BMW 3.0 CSL
- 1977 – Roy Lichtenstein (USA) – BMW 320i Group 5 racing version
- 1979 – Andy Warhol (USA) – BMW M1 Group 4 racing version
- 1982 – Ernst Fuchs (Austria) – BMW 635 CSI
- 1986 – Robert Räuschenberg (USA) – BMW 635 CSI
- 1989 – Michael Jagamara Nelson (Australia) – BMW M3 Group a Race version
- 1989 – Ken Done (Australia) – BMW M3 Group A Race Version A.
- 1990 – Matazo Kayama (Japan) – BMW 535i
- 1990 – César Manrique (Spain) – BMW 730i
- 1991 – AR Penck (Germany) – BMW Z1
- 1991 – Esther Mahlangu (South Africa) – BMW 525i
- 1992-Sandro Chia (Italy) -BMW 3 Series Racing Touring Car Prototype
- 1995 – David Hockney (Great Britain) – BMW 850csi
- 1999 – Jenny Holzer (USA) – BMW V12 LMR
- 2007 – Olafur Eliasson (Denmark) – BMW H2R Hydrogen Record Car (Your mobile expectations: BMW H2R project)
- 2010 – Jeff Koons (USA) – BMW M3 GT2
- 2016 – CAO FEI (China) – BMW M6 GT3
- 2016 – John Baldessari (USA) – BMW M6 GTLM
- 2024 – Julie Mehretu (USA) – BMW M Hybrid V8
